For the Books: June '25
Plus a film overview
This month was a doozy, let me tell y’all. I spent a lot of time commuting, working, and helping friends, lovers, and family, so naturally my reading fell to the wayside. But I also feel like June was a month of refocusing and action, so I can’t be too upset about it.
The book I read this month wasn’t from my shelves, but instead from the library. “Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffery” is the collaborative work of Kathryn Tucker Windham and Margaret Gillis Figh that explores a variety of ghost stories from around the state of Alabama, including Jeffery, the mysterious “something” that haunts Ms. Windham’s house. These stories are charming in the same way ghost stories told around a bonfire are. I loved seeing different parts of my state highlighted and getting a window to different histories that I haven’t heard about yet. I felt particularly entranced by “The Phantom Steamboat of the Tombigbee” and “The Face in the Courthouse Window”. This collection may have pushed me to reawaken my interest in Alabama folklore again.
Film Interlude
Since I didn’t read too much this month, I will instead tell y’all about the movies I watched this month (six films! who am I?).
I re-watched The House on Sorority Row (1982) and Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) as part of my Summer Horror Season ’25. As a horror fan, movies that take place in the summer, or summer-coded movies are my favorite in the genre. Part of this horror season agenda included me seeing An American Werewolf in London (1981), Return to Oz (1985), and Lake Placid (1999). I’ve wanted to watch An American Werewolf in London for some time now, mostly for the werewolf SFX effects. I didn’t realize it was a horror comedy, so that was a pleasant surprise! Return to Oz was quite uncanny and belongs next to Labyrinth or The Dark Crystal honestly; I already want to watch it again. Lake Placid was shockingly fun! I didn’t expect it to be so funny, and I’m glad my boyfriend suggested it for this summer.
My boyfriend and I watched Monkey Man (2024) for a date night, and while I wasn’t expecting Indian John Wick (I hated John Wick) I had a great time with it. I find it so funny and valid that Dev Patel, as director, producer, and screenwriter of the film, had the commune of hijras cheer when he took his shirt off in his training sequence (I also cheered, but I digress).
Life With Leslie (Barista Edition)
I’m still reading “Intermezzo”, but I’ve also started “Babel” by R.F. Kuang, and “Mistresses of the Dark” which is a collection of short stories.
I didn’t get the library assistant position, but I am going to apply for a desk job soon.
We are on our third movie night at work. This week we are showing Blonde Ice (1948)!
My friend Erin invited me to join a research project with her, so I’m excited to see where that takes us.
In My Headphones Recently